Naaman's Fantasy of Healing
Story★★★★Naaman had a physical ailment. He had leprosy. Could anyone within his country heal him? No, nobody could heal him.
And so he was told by an Israelite servant girl to go to the prophet in Israel, and that he did. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a message unto him, saying, ‘Go wash in the Jordan 7 times, your flesh will come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.’ But Naaman was angry.
He went away and said, ‘Behold, I thought he shall surely come out unto me and stand and call on the name of the Lord God and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper.’ He had a narrative of how he thought it was supposed to go. ‘Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers in Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean.’ So he turned away in a rage. But we know how the story finishes.
It finished well. But Naaman was really upset when he heard the remedy.
It was not according to what he thought it was supposed to be. Why did he have this strong reaction? Because he fantasized about it and he expected God to do a certain thing. And when it didn’t happen, God didn’t say I’m not gonna heal you.
He said I’m just gonna do it a different way. He got so upset, he almost missed the entire blessing. If it wasn’t for that wonderful servant he had, he would have remained a leper to the day of his death because he castle-builded.
Arruda, Gabriel, “The 3 Parts to God’s Will” (AudioVerse teaching 30719).
The point
The story of Naaman illustrates how his fantasy of how healing should happen almost caused him to miss God's blessing, showing the danger of holding God to our expectations.
Alternate wording
Naaman's Anger61 words
Most of you are familiar with the story of Naaman. He had leprosy and was told by an Israelite servant girl to go to the prophet in Israel, which he did. Elisha sent a message saying Naaman should wash in the Jordan 7 times to be healed. But Naaman was angry and thought it would take more dramatic action for healing.
Naaman's Willingness to Seek Healing56 words
Naaman, a mighty military leader with leprosy, hears about the prophet Elisha from a young captive girl. He travels to Israel seeking healing but is initially frustrated when Elisha instructs him to wash in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman’s anger subsides only after his servants convince him to follow through, leading to his miraculous healing.